The EZA Forum Top 10 Towns

I put together a small list, originally I didn't want to send anything since I could only think of two or three but after giving it some more thought I got nine or so I feel confident in, including at least one from a game I guarantee nobody else will put on their list or probably even played.

@oscillator That was originally my plan, but I didn't know how successful this thread would be, so I didn't want it to be uneven. If I get enough lists to where I do this again, then I might follow that format.

Well in an unfortunate turn of events, my computer broke yesterday. I am having someone fix it right now, but I have no idea when it will be fixed. Because of this, I am changing the deadline to the 6th so that I have time to make sure everything is in order.

One of my most thorough and unintentionally heartfelt posts incoming...

This was difficult to think of off the top of my head. I spent maybe 30 minutes on it. 5 of my towns are definitely questionable and I had to have 5 replacements. I KNOW for a fact I'm forgetting some. I was on the fence about San Vanelona from Skate and Skate 2 which may be my favourite CITY if we ever make that list. Just an amazingly well made game world.

PLEASE CONSIDER THESE TWO LESSER TALKED ABOUT TOWNS IN YOUR LISTS:

Monteriggioni - Assassins Creed II

Assassins Creed II isn't the best game in the world and Moteriggioni isn't the best hub world ever made, but it is an incredible recreation of a real town in Tuscany, Italy. The town is beautiful in real life (like all of Tuscany) and Ubisoft Montreal recreated it in such a way that you marvel at what video games are capable of (Assassins Creed II does that in general). Monteriggioni slowly grows as you play through the long game. There are secrets that are revealed as you pick away towards 100% completing the game. The primary attraction is that it feels small. The low population and miniature on goings pair so well with Jesper Kyd's soundtrack (score?) which also feels atmospherically sparse.

Arcadia Bay - Life Is Strange, Life Is Strange: Before The Storm

Arcadia Bay is the video game town in recent memory that fully combines all aspects of the game design within Life Is Strange where the town is not secondary or tertiary, but is integrated into the fundamental enjoyment of the game. The entire game unfolds in various locations within this town. There are hallways and classrooms that you can explore at your leisure. There are dorm rooms that you also can explore and get to know the unique personalities of your peers within. Your best friends mom works at a greasy spoon diner where you meet seedier locals and get a grasp on the overall culture of the town. Later - you break into the same school, you have various social tensions within the same dorm, and the town faces impending doom.

The game allows players to make inferences based on what they can see from the locales they visit. The private school is ritzy and the classism Chloe and Max face can be exemplified by the grandoise nature of the school. The boredom and isolation Chloe faces can be understood by seeing an empty junk yard that she kills time in. Something simple like a Totem in the courtyard near the dorms can say a lot about the Indigenous people who may still have a culture and population within the city, or possibly exemplifies a respected Indigenous history. I was under the impression that Rachel Amber may have some Indigenous ancestry based on her character design. Allowing the player to make inferences and not spell things out is not only an example of great world building (town building?) but also great game design. Arcadia Bay offers different stakes within the narrative for the town you grow extremely accustomed to throughout your 10-20 hour journey.

Right now I have a total of 45 unique towns that have been submitted, and 8 lists. The problem is, there are not enough games that are on multiple lists. For instance, I have many games that are on three lists, but that tie doesn't help me when making a top 10 list. I currently have an idea I am toying with to fix that problem, but I'll wait until the last day to announce it.

Only eight lists? (Or nine now.) That's unfortunate, I thought this was a neat idea for us to play around here with. Especially when the EZA video seemed to leave many unhappy with the results. Name your own top 10 now then, please.

Okay folks, the deadline has been met and I have received 10 lists with a whopping total of 60 different towns. Now, the way things worked out means I can't fully form the top 10 list yet, which is why I have decided to enact ROUND TWO. Essentially I am going to take the games that were on more than one list and ask you all to rank them. There are 17 games that appeared multiple times, so obviously put your favorite at 1 and your least favorite at 17. Even if you no experience with a town, I would ask that you don't exclude it from your list entirely, just put it at the bottom.

I'm honestly kinda surprised that nobody else listed "The" town from Animal Crossing. I guess it just comes down to not being a set place which makes it kinda a grey area for a list like this. That or it was DQ'd for those reasons, I dunno.